Autoimmunity and ALS: studies on antibodies to acetylcholinesterase in sera

The involvement of the immune system in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is controversial. It has been suggested that ALS patients develop specific antibodies against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and that these antibodies by retrograde axonal transport may be the cause of death of the spinal motor neurons. It has also been argued that these antibodies elicit hemolysis of erythrocytes. However, using recombinant human AChE as antigen in ELISA and Western blot analysis, we have been unable to find any evidence for the existence of specific AChE antibodies in ALS patients.